10 Body Piercing Facts
10 Interesting Body Piercing Facts
Body piercing has been around for thousands of years and in the last few decades, it’s popularity has skyrocketed worldwide. Not only have new piercing types and styles of jewellery emerged in recent times but the materials used for piercing jewellery have also diversified.
Nowadays there is a vast number of people around the world having one form or another of body piercing. As one might expect there are a lot of myths and interesting facts surrounding this type of body modification. To shed some light on it, we have compiled a list of 10 important and interesting body piercing facts for you.
1. Some Piercings Heal faster than Others and Hurt Less
Body piercings can be very different in terms of pain levels, healing times, jewellery types used and even aftercare. When it comes to healing, pierced areas of the body with good blood circulation tend to heal faster with fewer complications. The earlobes, tongue and lips heal the quickest because of vascularity. Cartilage piercings on the ears and nose take the longest to heal.
Although pain is subjective and each person may have different thresholds, the most nerve endings are found around the genitals and nipples making these some of the most painful piercings. People with a low pain threshold are better off going for an ear and navel piercing, as these usually hurt the least.
2. Too Much Cleaning is Bad and Rotating Jewellery Does Not Help Healing
Proper cleaning of the pierced area is important to help with the healing process. This should typically be done twice a day. In many cases light cleaning with a saline or sea salt solution or a soak is sufficient. Piercings are wounds that will heal naturally. Applying ointments, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide will aggravate the trauma and hamper the recovery.
Also, in the past, it was believed that rotating the jewellery helps. However, we have since learned that piercing jewellery should be touched as little as possible until the inner tissue of the fistula has completely healed. Because it is hard to tell when this is the case, a professional piercer will need to estimate the healing time.
3. Getting a Piercing Should not be a Spur-of-the-moment-decision
Getting a piercing is something that should not be taken lightly. Research regarding the pain levels and aftercare should be conducted by the piercee before committing to a piercing. If the rationale is that the piercing can be removed if no longer wanted, the wearer should realise that scarring, bumps, as well as holes may remain even after the jewellery is removed.
4. There are some Complications that may Arise
Around three quarters of all piercings will heal free of complications. In some cases however, thickened scar tissue can form after a piercing. Even though these can occur with any type of piercing, ear cartilage and to a lesser degree nostril and industrial piercings are the most prone to them.
These are called keloids which are typically very difficult to treat. Keloids are genetic and much more common amongst people with darker skin tones. They are also, according to the National Institutes of Health, most likely to occur between the ages of 10 to 30. Other complications also include infections, migration and rejection of the piercing jewellery.
5. Piercing Guns are Out
There was a time when ear piercings were done with a gun but those days are over. The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) has deemed that the piercing gun is unsafe and all piercings should be done with needles such as hollow or cannula needles.
6. The Most and Least Common Pierced Types
The most common piercings are earlobe piercings. Most people new to piercings will go with these for a first experience. Research shows that only about 14% of all piercees have a piercing elsewhere. The next most pierced body part is the navel, followed by the nose and then other areas of the ear.
The least common piercings are eyeball piercings, single entry or dermal piercings, corset piercings, uvula piercings, bridge piercings, anti-eyebrow piercings and some genital piercings.
7. The Most Pierced Person in the World
Elaine Davidson, a former Brazilian nurse now living in Scotland is the most pierced person in the world. She had 11,003 piercings when last counted in January 2019 and has more piercings on the genitalia than any other body part. She has held the world record since 2006 and is continuing to get more piercings.
According to herself she now has over 15,000 piercings and is aiming to get a total of 20,000 in the future. She does not remove the piercings even when travelling abroad.
8. The Country With the Highest Pierced Population
Scotland has the highest average number of people with piercings as declared by the Guinness Book of World Records.
9. How Nose Piercings Reached the West?
Nose piercings suddenly became a Western trend after the Beatles travelled to India in the 1960s. The Hippie movement at the time also helped in promoting this form of body art as a symbol of peace and non-conformity.
10. How did the Prince Albert Piercing get its Name?
Although it is not factually confirmed, this male genital piercing got its name from the husband of Queen Victoria who is said to have had a penis piercing. It is possible that the piercing served to secure the prince’s penis in an aesthetically pleasing way in his tight trousers. Others claim he had Peyronie’s disease and the piercing was used to straighten his penis.
Check out our many other blog posts to learn more interesting body piercing facts and discover a wealth of information about the different piercing types as well as the latest trends in body jewellery.
Publication date and/or Last Updated: July 27, 2023
Author: cesar@suprank.com
Views: 559
Copyright Holder: Acha Co., Ltd.
Company info: WholesaleBodyJewellery is owned and operated by Acha, a leading manufacturer and online supplier of piercing jewellery with more than 20 years in the industry.
